Going for the Green

In early April, Kieron van Wyk ’25 was at the Masters watching one of golf’s biggest stars, Jordan Spieth, play a practice round. Coming off the 10th green, Spieth came over to the rope that separates the players to say hello to Trevin Jaggars, the head of athlete marketing for golf at Under Armour, the sportswear brand Spieth put on the golf map with his endorsement in 2013. As they walked back to the 11th tee, Jaggars introduced Spieth to van Wyk, whom the company had just signed – its first and only college golfer under contract.

“It was great for them to meet, especially since they share many of the same qualities we look for in an Under Armour athlete,” says Jaggars. “Kieron embodies the core values of our brand. His character and maturity surpass that of the typical college athlete, and that can be seen in the way he approaches the game – truly impressive for someone at the amateur level.”

Make that former amateur. After the most successful career of a men’s golfer at the College, which included five wins and a tie for fourth in his PGA Tour debut at the Puerto Rico Open in March, van Wyk turned professional in May.

“Playing in the final group on Sunday in a PGA Tour event is just not done while you’re in college,” says men’s golf coach Mitch Krywulycz, noting van Wyk had to win a college event just to get a spot in the field. “He took that little snowball and turned it into an avalanche.”

With van Wyk’s family in South Africa, Krywulycz was there for the final round. “The stage was huge,” says Krywulycz, who played on two national championship teams at Augusta State. “To watch him operate in that world and handle the pressure was awesome.”

Although he didn’t win the event, the tie for fourth would have netted him about $250,000 had he not been an amateur. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be a professional golfer,” says van Wyk, a business administration major. “Having experienced that has only solidified my decision.”

He also made history in January as the first amateur to win an Advocates Professional Golf Association event since that tour began in 2010. As a freshman, he became the first Black golfer to win the Coastal Athletic Association individual title, leading the Cougars to their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2001. And he is the first student-athlete to win three CAA Golfer of the Year honors (2022, 2023, 2025). Krywulycz says it’s van Wyk’s mental toughness – the ability to block out negative thoughts – and his accurate iron play that set him apart.

But van Wyk’s favorite memory while at CofC has nothing to do with golf. It’s playing in the annual kickball game on the softball field at Patriots Point with the men’s and women’s golf teams.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at the College and the relationships I’ve made,” he says.

Van Wyk has secured several sponsor exemptions this summer into PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events, where good play could earn him tour privileges without having to go through qualifying this fall.

And who knows? There’s a good chance he could be back on the ground next year at Augusta – on the other side of the ropes. – Tom Cunneff